For You
by SkItZoFrEaK
Summary: “It’s alright,” Rock Lee soothed, though he did not let go of her wrists and his leg stayed firmly locked around her knees. “I’m here for you now,” he murmured. Lee. Sakura. Final chapter. Enter Gai
1. Alone

AN: The extended version of "Strength," my SakuLee ficlet. The story will not be exactly the same, and there's actually….wait for it…dialogue. Shocking. Also, at the moment this story is clean. However, this whole concept has been an experiment for me since the beginning, so I might later try my hand at lime or lemon. We'll see. And for those who worry, it's going to be way shorter than "A Change In the Wind."

Chapter 1

Alone

The wind threw dust up into her eyes. She did not move. She did not speak. Leaves caught in the cool breeze were already piling up against the grave marker. She did not reach to brush them away. Outwardly, she was stone herself, still and silent and calm. Inside, her heart was pounding and her stomach churned with the tension that had budded that morning, when they had put her mother's ashes into the ground and cemented forever the final, frightening truth.

Sakura was alone.

She stood in the graveyard until the strain building in her stomach became too great, and she could no longer stay still. She walked down the street, pace quickening until she was flat out running, but still the tension would not settle or dissipate. It stayed with her, building and building, as she ran through the gates of her village, as she leaped through the trees of her childhood home. It had built to such a peak that by the time she reached one of the many training areas deep in the woods, she could feel the pressure on the inside of her chest pushing outward, threatening to burst her heart once and for all.

She slammed her fist into a tree, and the trunk splintered. The skin of her hands stung, her knuckles ached with the impact. This outer pain was good – it took her mind away from the mounting tension writhing in her belly. Again, she slammed the tree. It broke in a shower of splinters, falling heavily into the dirt. Gaining momentum, Sakura turned to another tree, employing all her strength. That tree crashed to the forest floor too, as blood trickled down her hand.

Not enough. She spotted a tall outcropping of rock, and focused her ire on it. In a few seconds, her world became nothing but flesh on stone, the cracking of rock and the cracking of bone mixing in together as the pain inside exploded outwards.

She didn't notice immediately when the hard rock became something else, something green and moving that dodged her fists. Eyes blurring with rage and tears, she swung harder, aiming to destroy it too.

Bandaged hands clamped down in her wrists, pinning them. Something strong latched itself around her legs, knocking her to her knees and holding her there, too.

"Sakura, stop!" the voice filtered into her consciousness, and she suddenly realized that she was half-screaming and sobbing all at once. She stopped thrashing, her body going rigid.

"You must not hurt yourself like this," the voice said again, and through the haze she saw large black eyes staring down at her, close to her face. "It's alright," Rock Lee soothed, though he did not let go of her wrists and his leg stayed firmly around her knees. "I'm here for you now," he murmured.

Sakura felt the rage fall out abruptly from under her, leaving her weak and unsupported. She crumpled, trying to wind herself into a ball around the core of her pain. Lee shifted from holding her still to just holding her, letting her cry into his chest as he rocked her gently and murmuring whatever calming words he could think of into her sweat-damp hair.

The shadows were long and deep by the time she ran out of tears. She lay there against him, feeling empty, drained.

"How did you know?" she rasped at last around dry throat.

He sighed, making her head rise and fall with his chest. "I saw you running," he told her, carefully sliding an arm from around her back and reaching for his water canteen. He handed it to her, holding it steady when her hands proved too shaky to support it herself. "I didn't follow you at first, but then I met Ino, who told me about your mother. I tracked you here."

"Why did you stop me?" She demanded, hating the bitter accusation in her voice but unable to stop herself nonetheless.

"You were hurting yourself," he said mildly, not offended.

"It's not your business," she shot back, and struggled to sit up, to push away from him. She teetered precariously as a wave of dizziness hit her. He put a hand on her shoulder, waiting until he saw from her pale face that she was steady.

"I know."

She turned her head to look at him, eyes red and swollen, face streaked with tears and sweat. "I'm sorry," she managed, adding guilt and self-loathing to the mess of emotions in her chest.

"It's alright," Lee answered quickly, smiling at her. His smile was slightly subdued, though, and he winced when he moved to stand, offering his hand to her. "I'll take you home, if you permit."

She let him pull her to her feet, but didn't relinquish his hand. He blinked in surprise as she stepped in towards him, narrowing her eyes. "Where did I hit you?" She demanded, putting a hand on his chest.

He shook his head, his free hand coming up to ward her off. "No, it's fine."

But she didn't back away. She owed him this much, at least. "Where?"

He looked down almost ruefully, and touched the left side of his rib cage. "Here."

Sakura placed her hand flat on the spot, focusing her chakra. Her hand glowed green briefly, and when it faded Lee straightened. "It's gone!" he exclaimed in surprise. A sudden grin transfigured his face. "Sakura, you're amazing!"

The kuniochi gave a clipped, bitter laugh. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," he countered firmly. "Even when your mind was clearly elsewhere, you still managed to get in a solid hit."

"You had to let me hit you in order to get me in that lock," she retorted. "And don't try to lie about it. Your face gives it away."

He laughed remorsefully, and reached up to scratch his head. "I never was any good at hiding things from you."

"You're too honest," she agreed, taking a cautious step. Her limbs all felt like lead, but she could walk.

"Then allow me to be honest with you," he walked beside her, keeping his longer stride in check with her slow pace. "I know you concentrate more in the genjutsu area, but you have excellent taijutsu reflexes, even if you lack the training to use them. A little hard work and you could be a master in taijutsu too."

She couldn't help but smile a little at the earnestness in his tone. "Would you teach me?"

He was so surprised that he stopped dead in his tracks for several seconds. Sakura kept moving, afraid to stop lest she somehow allow the tension, the pain to build up inside again. Movement was good. After a moment, he caught up to her again, and if he was still shocked at her request, his face showed none of it. "Of course!" He told her enthusiastically. "You're already well into the basics and intermediate levels, naturally, but I can help you develop what you know further. Whenever you wish, just tell me. I am always prepared to train!" He pumped a fist in the air. "After all, we're in the springtime - Sakura?" Lee's voice turned instantly to concern as he reached out to steady her.

Sakura grabbed his hand until the dizziness passed again, before straightening. "I'm alright," she murmured. "I used up too much chakra smashing things."

"I'll carry you home," Lee offered, eyeing her worriedly. "If you will permit."

"No," she told him firmly, frowning at her weakness. "I'm not helpless."

His hand closed over hers gently. Distracted from the ugliness inside, she looked up to one of the most serious expressions on his face she had ever seen.

"I know."


	2. Compromising Position

Note: A faint tinge of citrus, but nothing to get excited about, so rating only goes up one notch. Big focal experiment in this chapter is writing a taijutsu match. They're hard to describe! If anyone notes any discrepancies in that area, or if it's just too damn confusing or vague, let me know via review button. Thankee muchly.

Chapter 2

Spar

Two months, she thought, ducking to avoid the knee that might have shattered her jaw had it connected. Two bloody months of sore muscles and bruises, and she still hadn't hit him more than three times. _Only three, damnit._ Sakura spun, using the momentum of her body to swing her leg, aiming for the fourth. He dodged easily, but she reversed the kick at the last moment, redirecting it for a spot much lower. She felt the air as his body shifted at the last possible instant.

Lee caught her ankle in one hand, using her own momentum to throw her through the air. She twisted, slicing at his windpipe with her left hand as her right dug into the muscles on his shoulder. He evaded the slash-hand and tried to shrug out from her grip, but she used him as a turning point, changing her twist to a flip that put her neatly on the ground behind him.

He spun low, trying to catch her across the ankles with his calf, but she'd seen him pull that whirlwind maneuver too often. The last time he'd tried it, she'd jumped back and away from him, and he'd followed through with a strike combination that was just too damned fast for her to deal with. So this time she tried a different tact, jumping _towards_ him. He threw up one arm to block her double blow punches, but while her hands were occupied, his free arm looped around and snagged her shirt at the shoulder. Copying me, she realized a beat too late as he used the contact to swing up and over her, landing behind her.

Sakura dropped into a crouch, jabbing backwards as she crabbed to the side. He wasn't so easily distracted, though, and didn't bother trying to catch her elbow. He simply blocked it with his knee and brought his shoulder down hard to plant it his fist in the middle of her temporarily exposed back. Thankfully, she'd thought about that possibility, and was already moving to avoid it. His fist grazed her stomach as she twisted almost sideways to avoid the brunt of the blow, and though she knew she'd be bruised on her stomach later, the majority of the damage went to the ground beneath her. Now balancing on her left hand and foot, she threw her right knee up to catch him in the ear. Lee jumped forward, over her body and landed on his hands, now in front of her.

Perfect. Sakura pushed smoothly to her feet. Instead of dodging his next kick, she caught it neatly, and redirected the motion downwards so that Lee was forced to come back to his own feet. But he managed to turn to face her even as his captured leg was forced towards the ground, and his free leg came slamming down towards her head.

Once again, Sakura ducked inwards, towards him, and swung hard, aiming for his nose. He had to bend back to avoid the blow, and then back flip all the way to avoid her follow-up knee to the groin.

But she flipped with him, and before Lee was fully upright again she had locked her arms through his elbows, trapping his forearms between her biceps and her sides. He twisted, and somehow got his legs around Sakura's knees again – which was _not _a part of her plan. The man was too damn _flexible_, she thought with a flash of frustration. She could never quite pinpoint his limitations in that area; she invariably underestimated him.

Sakura barely had time to finish that thought when he yanked his body to the side and she found herself pinned on the ground, legs hopelessly tangled and his weight holding her upper body down. He clamped his arms tightly to his sides, and the arm-lock that she had used against him now served to pin her own arms in place. Damn!

Still, she struggled gamely for a few seconds, scowling as he simply lay there and let his superior weight do all the work for him. At length, she gave it up. Short of breaking his arms, she was stuck.

"Alright, alright, you win," she grumped. Lee grinned at her.

"You have improved greatly," he told her, face still inches from her own. "That must have been at least six or seven minutes."

"You aren't even sweating," she accused.

"Of course I am." the Beautiful Beast gave her his best Wide Eyes of Innocence Look, which was returned with a brief Green Glower of Doom. "It's just less noticeable under my training clothes. And look, I'm even breathing harder this time," he added, trying to be encouraging.

She rolled her eyes. "Someday I am going to make you regret going easy on me."

He flashed that sparkly grin again, and loosened his elbows enough for her to slip her arms out. He carefully untangled his legs and started to sit up. In a flash, Sakura twisted her hips, curved her back, and pushed. Lee's eyes shot open in surprise as he suddenly found himself lying on his back, wrists pinned to the ground by his head. Sakura smiled sweetly. "Like today."

He stared at her, and in a sudden fierce rush of awareness it occurred to her that it was more than her sudden attack that shocked him into silence. She was straddling his hips, feet hooked around his knees to hold his legs down. Her hands were locked on his wrists, and of course, she was leaning her full weight on them – which left her nose about three centimeters from his and the tips of her petal-pink hair brushing against his cheekbones. They were both panting with exertion, breath mingling in the air between them and blowing against her face.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she felt the heat of a full blown blush creep up into her cheeks. She pushed away, all but throwing herself off of him. She sat down abruptly, keeping her back to him so that he couldn't see the beet-red color of her face. Behind her, she heard him sit up slowly. Lee inhaled sharply once, but almost instantly his breathing became slow and constant as he forced it back under control.

When she dared to look back, he was sitting with his legs drawn casually up, elbows propped on his knees, watching her.

"Sorry," she said, somewhat proud at how evenly her voice came out. "That was a low trick, I know."

He shrugged, smiling. "In battle, there are no low tricks." He recited the shinobi rule at her calmly, but his smile was oddly drawn and he wouldn't quite meet her eyes. Great, she thought bitterly. She'd definitely made things much more uncomfortable between them.

"I've got to go," Sakura mumbled, scrambling to her feet gracelessly. She took a few hasty steps, then paused, almost but not quite turning her head. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he answered, uncharacteristically brief. He took another deep breath, which seemed to steady him. "Of course, Sakura," he tried again, this time with a more normal cheery-Rock-Lee grin. "I'll be waiting for you."

* * *

But the next day, she didn't come. Lee waited for an hour or so before heading to the far end of the field to work on his own. He kept one eye on the path, but no pink hair or green eyes appeared. So Lee did was he always did when confronted with something he could not change: he trained. Hard. And if his stance was a little less controlled, his punches a little more rough than usual - well, there was no one around to notice. 


	3. Last Chance

This chapter left me in an internal debate. I could definitely leave it at this. Or I could go a little bit farther. But I don't write fluff romance, so I can't reconcile these two without getting lemony. Hrm…it's a quandary. We'll just have to see what happens, eh? (A bo is a six-foot wooden staff. Tekagi and ashikagi are blades on the arms and legs for climbing and close combat. A chigiriki is a mace-like weapon, a two foot rod with a long spiked chain and a spiked ball on the end.)

**Chapter 3**

**Last Chance**

Sakura sidestepped the giggling genins with a tolerant smile. _Brats, _she growled mentally, wishing her hands were free to maybe smack one or two over the head. Shame on them for hanging out in the streets like hooligans instead of doing something useful like helping a heavily-burdened kunoichi with her groceries.

Not that she needed help, Sakura thought firmly. It just would have been nice, that's all. She gave up trying to crane her neck around the heavy bags of food she carried and attempted to just feel her way along the sidewalk with her feet. It worked for a few steps, right up until she got outside her house and something rolled inexplicably under her foot. She felt her leg shoot out from under her, and struggled to keep her balance without flinging her food all over the yard. Crap, she thought, feeling gravity take hold and suck her backwards. She braced for the impact of cement on her spine and tilted the bags in her arms so at least they wouldn't spill –

- and blinked in surprise. "Are you alright, Sakura?" Someone asked above her, and Sakura tilted her head back a little more to see dark eyes staring down at her in mild concern. Lee stood behind her, one hand braced between her shoulder blades, holding her at an almost parallel angle with the sidewalk.

Sakura pushed off from his hand with the muscles in her back, fighting not to overbalance forward. "I'm fine," she blushed slightly, feeling tremendously clumsy and self-conscious. "Hello, Lee."

He reached around her, taking some of the bags from her arms. "Let me help you."

"Thanks," she muttered, and tried hard to act like nothing had happened. Down the street, the Giggle Genins were laughing louder. Apparently they had caught her near-disastrous mishap. One of them was pointing downwards, and she followed his finger to see the little green rubber ball that had rolled neatly under her foot bounce away, back towards the boy who had thrown it.

"Little monsters!" Sakura yelled at them, scowling as they burst into fresh peals of laughter and ran off down the street, bouncing the green ball back and forth between them. Sakura steamed for a moment, debating whether or not it would be worth it to just fling her groceries on the step and hunt them down…

"Ah, youth," Lee laughed from her side, bringing her out of her dark ruminations. "So vibrant, and yet so foolish."

She snorted, and decided to let the runts live. For now. She stomped up to her door, balancing the remaining bags on her hip while she fiddled with the key and the booby trap smoke bombs. With that taken care of, she pushed the door open with her knee and lead Lee into her kitchen, dropping her bags on the counter with a sigh of relief.

Feeling considerably calmer, she smiled over at her friend. "Thank you for the help, and for catching me."

Lee put the remaining bags down as well and gave her the thumbs up, gleaming. "Of course. I will always appear when you need me, as I promised." The smile faltered, but he endeavored bravely to maintain it. "How have you been, Sakura?"

She turned her back to him, rummaging through the bags for the frozen foods and putting them in the freezer. "Oh, you know. Busy. You?"

"I have been working very hard this week, training to become stronger in new ways."

_That's to be expected_, she thought with exasperated fondness.

"Gai-sensei and I have been working with short range weapons," he elaborated, eyes becoming vaguely dreamy like they always did when he discussed a newest addition to his brutal training regime. "I'm not bad with the bo, but I'm having trouble gauging how much strength to put into a blow that doesn't destroy the weapon as well as my target." He shrugged, laughing self-consciously. "I need much more practice, but in time I will be very good with it."

She smiled at his honest self appraisal. "I thought Tenten was the weapons master."

"Oh, it was her idea," Lee admitted. "I sparred with her yesterday for old times' sake, and she observed that it might be easier to block a large amount of weaponry with the wood of a good bo, as opposed to the flesh of my arms." He tapped one of those arms with his finger, and Sakura noticed that the linen appeared to be wrapped thicker than normal.

"Did you cut yourself up yesterday?" she asked, setting the cereal down that she had been putting away and coming across the room instantly.

"Oh, it's nothing," he put up his hands dismissively, but she grabbed his wrists and pulled them towards her, sending a tendril of chakra into his flesh to feel for damage. She could feel the faint itchy sensation in her own arms that were muted reflections of his wounds. From the intensity of the itch, she judged that some of the cuts were deeper than he was letting on. She frowned, and reached to tug at the ends of the bandages.

His reaction was immediate, jerking his wrists from her hands.

She pulled her hands back, startled. "I - " He was looking determinedly down, refusing to meet her eyes. She swallowed, stepping away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. The medic in me just takes over sometimes." She turned away again and moved to the table, flopping down in a chair with her back to him. Chalk another one up for the clumsy fool, she thought with no small bitterness and embarrassment.

"It's fine," he said softly, apologetically. She shrugged stiffly, locking her fingers in her lap and twisting them idly. That expression on his face…it reminded her abruptly of the last time she had sparred with him.

"Lee?"

"Yes?"

"Last week…in the field." She bit her lip, but pushed on. "I just wanted to ask if I…well, you seemed kind of…" she sighed. "Are you angry with me?"

"Angry?" he repeated, his turn to be startled. "Why do you think I am angry?"

"You just seemed to be upset with me," she answered, stubbornly refusing to turn around.

"No," he said after a moment. "I'm not angry. I wasn't angry then, either."

"Then why wouldn't you look at me?" She persisted.

He didn't answer, and the silence stretched and grew between them until Sakura could almost feel the physical weight of it on her shoulders. "Forget it," she said at last, just to fill the void. "It's not my business. Tell me more about weapons training. Is it only the bo?"

"For now," he seemed relieved to be back on a more familiar subject. "But later I plan to pick up a few bladed weapons like tekagi and ashikagi. Possibly even a chigiriki, which would give me some more medium range abilities as opposed to close-quarters fighting. What about you? Have you been training?"

She groaned, shaking her head. "Yes. Today was control training. It involves gathering chakra into precise points on my body, like my fists, elbows, or feet. And then I practice releasing the chakra into the target at the exact moment of contact. Basically, it's breaking rocks with various parts of my body. All day. It's a great for my ego, I admit, but its hell on my body." She sighed, digging her knuckles into the stiff muscles of her neck and debating whether it was worth the chakra to perform a minor healing jutsu on them.

Strong fingers pushed her hand lightly away. "Here," Lee said behind her. "If you will permit." His fingertips pressed into the sides of her neck, pushing smoothly, rhythmically against the tension. Despite herself, Sakura felt the soreness drain out, the muscles relax under his hands. She closed her eyes, sighing blissfully. Lee worked her neck muscles until they were soft and supple again, and then moved down to the slope of her shoulders and her upper back.

"You're incredible at this," Sakura murmured, just managing to keep the purr out of her voice.

He laughed. "Thank you. After years of sore muscles, I almost _had_ to learn, in self defense."

That made sense, she decided, arching her neck a little as he pushed into a knot between her shoulders. She recalled his precise, graceful movements on the sparring field – such perfect muscle control required expertise on each muscle in the body. That, and endless practice.

"Don't you ever get tired?" she asked suddenly. "You work so hard all the time…don't you ever just feel… burned out?"

Lee's fingers hesitated for a moment, hovering over her hairline behind her ears, but he recovered quickly and resumed his soothing movements. "Yes," he replied, keeping his voice light and friendly. "Sometimes, when I work hard enough to knock myself out, and I wake up in a field hungry, sore, and alone – yes, I feel very burned-out. But then I always remember _why_ I am there." She didn't turn to look at him, but she knew he was smiling. "And then I feel strong again, sometimes even stronger than before."

"So why _do_ you keep going?" she asked, partially because she was curious and partially because his hands just felt so damn good on her aching back.

"Well, when I was first at the Academy, I just wanted to be a good ninja because it was my childhood dream. That kept me going until I was six."

"What happened when you were six?"

He was silent for a moment, and she thought she heard him stifle a sigh. "My teachers started to tell me that I was no good. They said that I could never be a shinobi." He relaxed his fingers and started to rub circles on her upper back with his palms, forcing the muscles to smooth out. "The more they said it, and the more the other kids said it, the more I was determined to prove them all wrong. That was my motivation until I was twelve."

He paused, and she asked, on cue, "What happened when you were twelve?"

"I was put into a genin team under Gai-sensei, with Tenten and Neji. I became determined to beat Neji, and make Gai-sensei proud of me. He's the only person in the world who ever believed in me." His voice hitched slightly, but his hands moved steadily, without falter. "I had to be worthy of that belief. To some degree, it's still what keeps me going. But it was all I had until I was thirteen."

Sakura smiled as he paused again. Her turn. "What happened when you were thirteen?" she asked obediently, playing the game.

His hands hesitated again, and this time came to rest on her shoulders. "I met a girl," he answered quietly. "And I promised to protect her – although the first time I tried, she ended up protecting _me_." The smile was back in his voice. Sakura felt her own breath falter, just a little. "I learned, on that day," Lee went on. "That if I was going to keep my promise, I'd have to do more than just become a good ninja. I'd have to be an _excellent_ ninja, so that if she ever needed me, I could be there for her. And even if that day never comes, I must still always be prepared. I _must_." His fingers tightened on her shoulders before he made them relax again.

"Why?" She whispered.

His answer was simple, honest.

"Because I love her."

The silence stretched out for a long moment before Sakura could force her lungs to work. "Is she worth it?" She said at last, studying the table top before her as if it held all the answers inscribed on it. "All the effort? Even if she doesn't ever give you anything in return?" The words were rushing out of her mouth now; she couldn't seem to stop them. "Even if she _can't_ give you anything?"

Again, the almost imperceptible tightening of his bandaged hands on her shoulders, but he didn't draw back. "I ask nothing of her," he said slowly. "Except that she finds happiness. But I know that the one who makes her happy isn't…" Lee stopped, as if his voice had suddenly failed him.

"Isn't you," she finished.

He exhaled, and his breath stirred the short ends of her pink hair, curling around her neck and past her cheek. Slowly, heavily, his hands slid away. "Yes," he said simply. "And that's why I also know that I must let her go."

"That's why you came today," she whispered, and felt an inexplicable sadness matched by a powerful sense of fear well up in her chest.

"Yes." His voice was so low that she could barely hear it over the pounding of her heart. "I just had to tell her, once last time."

Sakura listened, frozen, as he walked away from her, towards the door.

"Good night," Lee said quietly. "Sakura."

She waited until the door clicked shut behind him before bursting into tears.


	4. Waking Up

AN: Well, I carried on after all, because I am a hopeless romantic at heart and, damnit, I wanted to see some Lee lovin'! So. Here's the deal, people: I couldn't write it without going into the shadowy realm of lemonhood. Nothing graphic or explicit, since there's not supposed to be flat out smex on ff.n - but well, it goes there, ok? So, if you don't like it, don't read it. I tried to keep it tasteful, though, since I'm not really any good at writing smut. Final warning: I know Lee and to some extent Sakura are more comedic characters in the series, but they can also both be very mature and serious in serious situations. Keep in mind that this is a serious situation. You want goofy Lee-moments, those will be coming in the epilogue, when Gai enters the scene...

**Chapter 4 **

**Waking Up **

Sakura snapped awake abruptly. Her neck ached again, but that was probably due to the odd angle at which her head lay. She sat up, grimacing as her cheek peeled away from the wooden table top. She scrubbed at her face, trying to rub away the combined stiffness of dried tears and sleep. She glanced blurrily at the clock on her oven, and saw that it was 11:30 at night. She'd been asleep almost six hours – though she wasn't entirely sure how long she'd cried before passing out on her kitchen table. She shoved away from the table, stumbling to her refrigerator and squinting against the harsh brightness of the fridge light. Ah, good, the chicken sandwich she had meant to eat for lunch was there in the front. She munched on it as she moved off to the shower.

A few minutes under the showerhead woke her up the rest of the way, and she turned to let the hot water ease the ache in her neck.

_Strong fingers pushed her hand lightly away. "Here," Lee said behind her. "If you will permit."_

Sakura slapped off the water and stomped out of the shower, reaching for her towel. She scrubbed viciously at her wet hair and body with it, trying desperately to rub away the lingering feel of his hands on her neck, her shoulders, the memory of his breath in her hair.

_"I'll protect you until the day I die," the green-clad stranger flashed a sparkling grin at her, giving her the thumbs up. _

She glanced at her clock again as she walked briskly, purposefully, to her room. It was 11:50. In her room, she dressed automatically, forcing herself to think of nothing, of emptiness and shadows and how nice it would be to just lie down in bed and go to sleep, not thinking about anything at all. Especially not dark eyes and strong arms gripping her to his chest, forcing her to hold still.

_"It's alright," Rock Lee soothed, though he did not let go of her wrists and his leg stayed firmly around her knees. "I'm here for you now."_

As her eyes adjusted to the dark of her room, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and stopped, startled. Without realizing it, she had put on her street clothes, all the way down to her boots and forehead protector.

She made a small choking noise, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "It's too late," she told her reflection, noting vaguely that the woman in the glass was shaking slightly, and looked more than a little hysterical. "He said goodbye. He _left_. They always leave. I always make them leave."

She put one hand against the mirror, but all she could see was another dark haired boy, walking away from her. And now Lee had left, too.

Sakura lifted her head, and her eyes were wide with sudden comprehension. "But he said goodbye first," she whispered. And without missing a beat, she turned and ran out of her apartment, into the night. Behind her, the clock on her oven ticked over, one minute past midnight.

* * *

She stood outside Lee's apartment door, hand pressed to the wood as she took several deep, calming breaths, forcing her accelerated breathing to slow down to normal. When she'd recovered as much as she was going to, she checked the door for traps, frowning as she realized that he hadn't put any up. Every shinobi trapped their door at night; it worked mostly as an early warning if another ninja tried to break in. It was careless to forget such a basic measure, and she'd never known him to be careless.

Wraithlike, Sakura pushed it open and slid inside. His apartment was dead silent, and for a moment she feared he wasn't there at all. But his shoes were sitting neatly by the door, and she relaxed again.

Sakura slipped her boots off and left them next to his. Then she booby trapped his door for him, well aware that she was stalling but reasoning that it had to be done, anyway. When that was finished, she padded noiselessly through the small apartment until she came to his open bedroom door.

He was lying on his bed on his back, bandaged hands folded neatly on his bare stomach. His blanket was pulled half-heartedly over his legs, but she could see that he wore loose black pants under the sheets. The moonlight seeping in through the cracks of the closed blinds fell on his face, putting white highlights in his black hair and throwing his features into shadowy relief. From her place across the room, Sakura could see the silver tracks of dried tears down his face.

She glided silently to him, dodging the crumpled heap of fabric on the floor that she recognized as his trademark training suit. The orange leg coverings were nearby, lumped around the discarded leg weights he wore. It didn't seem like him, somehow, to be so messy – but then, she realized, there was so much she didn't know about him. She needed to change that, if it wasn't too late. Standing over him, she could see clearly the furrowed brow, the mouth twisted into a frown, the way his hands seemed clenched against his belly instead of merely folded on top of it. He was dreaming, and it didn't look pleasant.

She could leave now, and Lee would never know she'd been there. He'd told her that he wanted her to be happy, even if it meant he would have no part in that happiness. Sakura saw, in a moment of perfect clarity, exactly what kind of crossroads she now stood. There was the easy choice: she could slip away now and when they met next, they'd smile and nod and go their separate ways like the polite acquaintances they would be.

_Coward._

Sakura inhaled deeply, reached out, and brushed two fingertips lightly against his cheekbone.

Even caught in the haze between sleep and consciousness, Rock Lee was absurdly fast. Before she had even noticed the movement, he had clamped his hand around her wrist. His eyes snapped open, and they seemed to be made of the same shadows that wreathed his face. Startled, she stared back for a moment. Then, smiling a little, she drew her hand away from his cheek. He let her pull back, but he didn't let go of her wrist.

"I was afraid," she confessed, meeting his gaze steadily and not giving him a chance to speak. "That's the real reason why I didn't go back, after that day in the field. I'd been ignoring it, ignoring _you_, for years, but that day I couldn't deny it anymore. And I was afraid to let myself continue on down that path." She used her ensnared wrist to pull him until he was sitting upright, legs hanging over the edge of the bed. She knelt down before him, putting her free hand on his knee, keeping her eyes locked on his.

"I loved someone once before," she whispered, mouth suddenly dry. But she pressed on, digging her fingers into the material of his pants. "And it worked out…badly. I was afraid to do it again, to let myself be hurt again – even more, I was afraid to hurt you. You deserve so much more than all the drama that comes with _this_." She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice as she gestured to herself, dropping her eyes at last. "But in the end…when you left…I couldn't…I mean, I just realized that I…"

Her shoulders sagged as she sighed. "I know it might be too late. I know I blew my last chance. But I had to tell you, anyway." Fighting the faint heat of tears in the corners of her eyes, she looked at him again. Lee was staring at her in wordless astonishment, trying to decide whether or not he had actually woken up or was still dreaming. Sakura smiled at him, and said the words she had come to say.

"I love you."

Once again he moved too fast for her to follow, launching himself up to his feet and simultaneously jerking her up by the wrist that he still held captive. Before she could fully react, he had engulfed her in his arms, pressing her to his chest. Sakura hesitated, and then relaxed against him, reaching to set her hands against his sides. "You're shaking," she whispered suddenly.

Lee made a soft sound that was either a groan or a gasp into her neck. "I prayed all the way up to your door," he whispered. "Not that you would choose me; I had lost all hope of that." He shook his head, and his hands clenched the fabric of her shirt, pushing her roughly into him as if he feared he was going to shatter and she was all that was holding him together. "I prayed instead that I would be strong enough to say what I went there to say. That I would be strong enough to give up the hope, to…to walk away." His voice cracked, and Sakura felt something hot and wet drip down her shoulder.

Too many tears, she thought with a sharp twinge of pain. For both of us.

She'd kissed other men before. After all, she was a grown kunoichi, and dating and flirtation were natural partners to the danger and stress that she and her fellow shinobi experienced on an almost daily basis. His kiss, however, was completely different from anything she had experienced before, completely different from anything she had thought he'd be like. It was she who pulled his face down to hers, but Lee controlled it. His extreme gentleness was not the tentativeness that she had expected from him; it held the promise of strength known and held deliberately in check. _I am yours_, it said. _And if you will have me…_

It wasn't what she'd expected, but then, he had a knack for surprising her.

She returned the kiss fiercely, trying to say with her body what she couldn't say with words. She pressed closer, stiffening reflexively as the movement pressed her body flush against his. He tensed, and his hands latched onto her upper arms, pushing her away from him slightly. "I don't want to…force you," he said roughly to her questioning eyes.

Sakura considered him for a moment. "I know." It took a little more muscle than she thought to push her way back into the circle of his arms, but he gave in at last, letting her drag his mouth back down to her upturned face. His hands found the thin line of bared skin at the bottom edge of her shirt, and he tentatively stroked his fingertips across the smooth, soft skin of her stomach. She caught one of his hands, and pulled it up between them. Her small fingers found the tucked end of the white cloth bandages, and she tugged it loose. Sakura looked up at him, and smiled hesitantly. "If you will permit?" She asked softly. Lee returned the smile, recognizing her gentle humor, and nodded.

It only took a minute and a clever flick of her wrist to pull the whole thing off, and she let it fall to the floor with the rest of his gear. She traced her fingers over the newly revealed flesh. The medical nin in her winced at the multitude of crisscrossed scars under fresh cuts, and the occasional faint bruise on his skin. Seeing her expression, Lee moved to pull away, face flushing in shame. "I know it's ugly - " he stammered apologetically. She pulled him back, bending her head to kiss his scarred knuckles. Reaching for his other hand, she unwound that bandage too, and brought those likewise damaged fingers to her lips. He gripped her fingers in his until she let go, and then put his hands to her cheeks, tilting her face up so he could reach her mouth.

Lee pulled back suddenly, and she looked up in surprise to see him staring at her with a strange expression she couldn't name on his face. Suddenly, Sakura felt a rush of uncertainty and embarrassment. He must have seen the fierce blush that crept up her neck and into her cheeks, because he stepped forward and brushed the fingers of one hand through her hair, while the other hovered delicately against the curve of her cheek. "You," he breathed, "are beautiful."

The awkwardness drained out of her, leaving nothing but the slow fire under her skin. "So are you," she murmured, and because he wouldn't bend his head again, she settled for kissing the soft skin just under his ear.

Lee sat down on the edge of the bed abruptly, pulling her to sit in his lap. He buried his face against her throat, arms clutching her waist. "If you don't want this," he said hoarsely, "you can tell me and I will understand. I won't ever force you to do anything you don't really want."

The strange expression on his face suddenly made sense. He still didn't believe her, didn't believe that she had come here because she truly loved him. Even with what she had said, he was afraid that she was only saying it for his sake, because he seemed to need it so much. She needed to correct that notion, fast.

She twined her fingers into his hair and tugged gently, forcing him to look at her. "You said that all you asked of me was my happiness, regardless of where I found it."

He nodded.

"Well, I found it," she leaned over and put her lips against Lee's ear, feeling the way his legs tensed under her and his arms flexed involuntarily. "I found it in you. And I'm still a little afraid," she admitted. "But if you're willing to be patient with me, I'm willing to work on it."

Gently, he laid her down on the bed. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. "I'm here for you now."

* * *

She returned slowly to herself, lying against Lee's chest, their sweated bodies still glued to each other. His breathing was calm again, his eyes closed. She lifted her head to look at his face, studying the strong lines of his nose, his jawline, his cheekbones. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

He felt her move, and without opening his eyes reached to draw her close. She curled beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lee's hand glided down over her side until he found her knee. He curled his fingers around it, and pulled her leg up until it was draped over him. Slowly, he rubbed his hand up and down her thigh and the curve of her hip. Sakura shifted just enough so that his roving fingers could slide a little further down along her inner thigh, and he smiled, tracing an elaborate design against the vulnerable skin until she shivered and pressed her leg against him to stop the merciless pleasure of it.

Lee turned his head towards her, frowning a little in concern as if something had just occurred to him. "I hurt you, didn't I? I didn't want - "

"You didn't, any more than is normal." she cut him off firmly. "I'm sorry," she murmured, reaching to push the hair back from his forehead. "I should have warned you I was a virgin."

He relaxed, marginally, and murmured into her hair. "It's only fair. I didn't tell you that I was, too."

Sakura blinked. "Really?"

Now it was Lee's turn to blink. "You thought otherwise?"

"I just…" she stopped, and started again, looking for the right way to say it. "You seemed to know what you were doing," she said at last.

He smiled at her, leaning his head down to kiss her forehead. "There is a difference, Sakura, between a male virgin and a moron."

She laughed a little, stretching her body languidly against him and noting with some pleasure the response the movement had on him. He put his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "I've never wanted anyone else but you," he said gently. He brushed his lips lightly between her eyes. She pulled herself up until she was leaning on her elbow looking down on him.

"I'm sorry," she said again softly. His smile faded into concern at the tense look on her face.

"Sakura?"

"I'm sorry that it took me so long," she explained, putting her hand flat on his chest earnestly. "I'm sorry that you had to put up with me and all my problems all this time, and I was never anything but cruel to you, even if it wasn't always intentional. I'm sorry for everything I've - "

He kissed her very hard at first, but eventually gentled it, letting her take control and explore his mouth, his lips, his tongue. "Shh," he murmured when she drew back for air. He turned her easily in his arms until she was nestled with her back against him, his breath alternately heating and cooling her neck, his arms firmly around her waist. "Rest now, Sakura. It's alright."

She did rest, pressing back into him as his hands stroked her soothingly from neck to shoulder, waist to hip, tracing the lines of her thigh and stomach, the curves of her body. She grinned in the dim pre-dawn light as something suddenly occurred to her. "I finally found a way to make you sweat." She said in an undertone, and he chuckled weakly too, still holding her tightly to his chest.

Outside, a sudden gust of wind rattled the window, and he groped blindly for the blanket they had kicked down near the foot of the bed, pulling it up one-handed and wrapping it around them both. "Lee," Sakura whispered. "Tell me something."

"Yes?"

"Why wouldn't you look at me, that last day in the sparring field? You said you weren't angry with me. What was it then?"

Lee rolled over suddenly, pulling her with him, and she found herself straddling his hips. He pulled her hands down until she was leaning on his, and bent his legs behind her slightly. Almost automatically, she hooked her bare feet around his knees, and blushed as she recognized the position she had pinned him in.

"I told you," he said gravely, but there was a light in his dark eyes that told her he was enjoying this immensely. "You're a beautiful woman. And I," he let her hands go, leaving them pressed against the mattress as he brought his own up to trace her hairline, tucking a few stray locks behind her ears. "I am not a saint."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What does _that_ mean?"

Lee's smile broadened, but even in the grey light of predawn she could see that his cheeks were slowly turning red. "Did you happen to notice the way I was sitting when you finally turned around to look at me?"

"Yes…I think so." She said slowly, as it began to dawn on her. Now Sakura's grin rivaled his as she raised her eyebrows at him. "I thought you looked a little uncomfortable."

He returned the smile ruefully, definitely a healthy shade of red despite the shadows.

"Are you uncomfortable now?" She teased lightly, but the pressure building against her lower body was answer enough, and she leaned to kiss him before he could reply some other way.

"I love you," he breathed against her mouth. He pulled her head back from his slightly to look her in the eyes. "I meant it - what I promised you all that time ago." Lee flashed that brilliant trademark grin, but his wide, dark eyes were dead serious. "I would die for you."

He let go then, and somewhere in the midst of what followed he whispered in her ear, "It wouldn't be hard. I already live for you."


	5. Dynamic Entry

Obligatory AN: Well, here it is. The concluding chapter. The last huzzah. My apology for the too-seriousness of the last chapter. w00t! Enjoy the Dynamic Entry-ness that is Maito Gai, and the almost permanently apoplectic blushing-ness that is (poor, poor) Lee, and the teasing silliness inherent in Sakura (she does have her silly moments, doesn't she?) Fluffiness to rival Jiraiya's hairdo, if looked at properly. Thank you for the kind reviews and encouragement – because in the end, all we really want is a little acknowledgement from those we care about.

**Epilogue  
Dynamic Wakeup Call**  
_(Start Your Morning the Gai-sensei Way)_

Lee had always been an early riser, and years of waking at dawn to get in the extra few minutes of training had long conditioned him to wake up alert and ready. But this morning, he seemed to be having some difficulty swimming up through the haze of pleasant warmth and relaxed muscles. He'd been dreaming, his sleep-fogged mind remembered. It had been a good dream, even if he didn't immediately recall the details. Sakura had been –

Lee's eyes snapped open, and it was to his credit that he did not sit bolt-upright in alarm and shock. As it was, the sudden tension in his muscles almost woke her. The head on his shoulder stirred slightly, and her arms tightened around his chest for a moment before she lapsed back into deep sleep.

Lee stared at her, letting the memories of the night hit him all at once, and then running through them one at a time. Gods, she was beautiful in the faint blue-grey light of dawn with her pink hair tangled in a strange sort of halo around her face. He felt a bizarre hollowness in his chest as he looked at her, but it was not the empty pain of loneliness that he knew too well. If anything, this was _wonderful_. He wanted to pull her to him tightly, bury his face in her skin and breathe her in…but he stayed still, letting the joy of her consume him as it would. Sakura sighed in her sleep, and snuggled deeper against his side. Lee wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He'd always felt the desire to protect her, to be there for her when she needed him. But now the feeling was so strong it made him ache with the intensity of it.

Over the curve of her shoulder, his alarm clock glared red at him. He was glad that he hadn't set an alarm for three years, since he figured out that regardless of what time he set it, he always woke up five minutes before it went off. If he didn't set it at all, he invariably woke at dawn. It was amazing, he mused, how quickly the whole world could change with one sentence, one embrace, one short night. This time yesterday, Lee had woken to an empty bed, to the hope that she would accept him with the heartbreaking certainty that she would not. Yesterday…had been Monday, right? He frowned, feeling the nag of something he had forgotten in the back of his head. What was so important about Monday?

It came to him in a rush, and he wanted to smack his forehead and groan aloud. Great Hokages on the Mountain! It wasn't that Monday was important, except for the fact that it meant _today_ was Tuesday. And on Tuesdays…

He checked the clock again. 5:26 a.m. He had exactly four minutes to get out of bed, get dressed, and either invent a good excuse or brace up and simply tell the truth –

Moving as carefully as possible, he extracted himself from her embrace, sliding reluctantly away from her warmth. She shifted, but it was a tribute to how tired she actually was that she did not wake. Lee considered his training outfit, thrown in a fit of self-loathing on the floor last night before he'd finally collapsed on his bed.

And woken to find Sakura leaning over him, smiling as she brushed his cheek. He turned to look at her again, studying the toned muscles in her arms, the soft indent of her waist, the swell of her hip, her peaceful face. . .

That settled it. He'd just have to tell the truth, and face the consequences like a man. With that thought firmly in mind, Lee pulled on his baggy black sleeping pants and went to the front door. He noticed the unusual booby trap, and smiled as he realized who must have set it. He knew it wouldn't really make a difference, but he dismantled it anyway.

Lee had barely finished removing the final tripwire from the doorframe when someone banged on the door from the outside with the cheerful gusto of a man determined to wake the entire building by sheer force of presence. "Lee!" A voice bellowed through the wooden barrier. "It is the most fortuitous and superb day of the week!" _Bang_, went the door. "It is _Tuesday_!" _Bang! _"Prepare yourself for vigorous and exciting training!" _Bang, _the door agreed. "The day is young and new, and the promise of spring is in the air!" _Crash!_

The wood finally gave, and into the apartment bounded a tall, muscular figure flashing brilliant teeth that matched with brilliant hair, brilliant eyes, brilliant (and stylish) emerald green workout suit with brilliantly brilliant orange leg coverings to match. Into the room leaped Maito Gai, in full Tuesday morning glory. If the world were anything like the movies, a flourish of (brilliant) trumpet blasts ought to have accompanied him, but as it was, he had to settle for a thumbs up and a booming laugh that was guaranteed to wake the dead and probably motivate even those lethargic beings to run a few laps around Konoha, too.

Lee winced, wishing for the first time in his life that his friend and former teacher weren't such an…exuberant person. He stepped back quickly to avoid the swinging door, catching it in one hand with the ease of long practice. "Good morning, Gai-sensei," he said politely, pitching his voice low. It was an exercise of futility though; if Maito Gai's boisterous (and rather poetic) arrival at the door hadn't woken her up, his dramatic entrance certainly would.

Gai didn't walk, he _burst_ into the kitchen, teeth gleaming and eyes aflame. "Come, my dynamic favored former student, today we practice the glorious art of the fighting style Crane on a Golden Cloud - " He broke off, raising one ponderous eyebrow as he suddenly took in the younger man's rather informal appearance. "What's this?" He demanded, pointing a finger. "You aren't dressed for work and replete with energetic intensity? Lee! Has something happened?"

Lee opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out Gai carried on, hands flying up to his face in horror. "You've become ill, or were kept up all night by the torturous hand of some enemy that you valiantly fought to the bitter end! Or -" Gai's finger jabbed at him accusingly. "_You_ are not the _true_ Rock Lee! You are an insidious imposter! But you fail to deceive _me_! What have you done with my youthful friend?"

"Please forgive me, Gai-sensei," Lee cut him off quickly, before this turned into a fight of some kind. "I'm afraid I simply can't train today. I…er…" he trailed off, turning red as he struggled to find the words to explain exactly _why_ he didn't plan to leave his apartment today.

Gai leaned close, frowning fiercely. Lee reflexively leaned back, wilting a little under the scrutiny. "Gai-sensei?" he ventured.

"You _are_ ill," Gai said firmly. "Your coloring is terrible, and you look like you haven't slept at all!" Lee choked, the ironic truth of his mentor's comment not lost on him. "Never fear, my boy, healing is just another skill in my varied and extensive repertoire! And if that fails, I can always fetch that lovely young medical nin friend of yours." He waggled thick eyebrows and winked. Lee wondered how the normally very perceptive man was failing to notice the strangled look on his former pupil's face. "I will have you strong and healthy again in no - "

Abruptly, he froze, eyebrows shooting up into his thick hair. A moment later, Lee heard it too. His cheeks may have been red before, but they were positively glowing now. From his bedroom came the unmistakable sounds of someone throwing back sheets, and the slight creak of the floorboards as she stood up and began to move around.

"Ah…" For the first time in years, Maito Gai seemed to be at a complete loss for words. The lapse was temporary, however; his face became contemplative as he turned again to eye Lee. Judging by his expression, he was now taking in the younger man's red face and choice of clothing with new understanding.

"I. . . see."

Lee held up his unwrapped hands in a helpless gesture.

Gai's glance flickered to the damaged skin of those hands, to significance of the missing bandages also not lost to him. "Lee," Gai said quietly, his tone suddenly deadly serious. "You can't cover old scars with new wounds."

The younger man frowned, face turning a more normal color as he tried to puzzle out the meaning of such a cryptic statement.

"Listen to me," Gai's voice was measured, as if he expected the words he spoke to injure the young man he viewed as a son. "I know you have been hurt, but attempting to forget the hurt in the arms of someone you do not love will bring only more pain. You cannot buy solace; you cannot fill the hole in your heart with a replacement girl so easily."

"Re….replacement?" Lee managed to stutter. _Buy_ solace? Wait…was Gai-sensei really implying….?

"Replacement for what?" a new voice joined the conversation sleepily before he could form a coherent response.

Lee watched Sakura stroll casually out of the bedroom with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety. Not bothering with her own clothes, she'd pulled on one of his sleeping t-shirts, an old gray thing that on her fell slightly above mid-thigh. She made the faded cloth look remarkably alluring. Rubbing at her eyes, Sakura smiled endearingly at Lee before turning to Gai. "Good morning," she nodded to him.

Lee watched with a fascinated sort of awe as Gai's face went through a rapid series of expressions, running from wide eyed shock to confusion to red-cheeked embarrassment in the time it took for Sakura to walk the five foot gap between them. He turned from Sakura to Lee, Lee to Sakura, and back to Lee again. Ignoring him, Sakura glided languorously to the sink, and as if she did it every day pulled a cup down from the cupboard and filled it with water. She drained it quickly, and over her pink head Lee met Gai's gaze with a weak smile. His mentor blinked, and suddenly a sly grin worthy of Jiraya spread across his features. "Good morning, Sakura," he said calmly. "I apologize if I woke you. I must say I am a little…surprised to meet you here like this." He looked pointedly at her outfit – or rather, lack thereof – and cast a quick meaningful glance at the open bedroom door, through which the foot of the rumpled bed could be seen.

"Mmm." Unfazed, Sakura set the cup down on the counter, wrapping her arms around her torso and yawning. She slanted her head to look up at Lee, still blinking groggily. "Are you leaving?"

Lee glanced up at Gai, mortification and pleasure warring on his features.

Gai watched him sweat it out for a few seconds before coming to the rescue. He waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, no, my dear. Unfortunately, I have just had some pressing business come up, and I came to tell Lee that I must regrettably cancel our weekly training today."

She smiled that sweet, sleepy smile again and arched her neck, stretching. Conscious of his mentor's astute eyes on him, Lee worked very hard not to look down at the way the shirt edged up along her thighs, or the way her crossed arms pulled in the excess fabric tightly against her back and waist. "Well then," she said imperturbably. "I'm going back to bed. I'm still all worn out."

Gai's jaw dropped, and Lee felt his face heat up again as she sidled past him and back into the bedroom, leaving the door partially open behind her.

"Well…" Gai coughed. "I must be going." He walked past his stunned friend, pausing long enough to say, loudly. "You had better get back to bed, too, Lee. You look like you haven't slept at all."

Lee could swear, as Gai pulled the door closed behind him with a final knowing grin, that he heard a muffled giggle from the bedroom.

* * *

She was lying on her back, head turned away from the door, blanket pulled up to her nose when he came in. He paused in the doorway, eyes tracing the distinct shape of her body under the cover and noting the small shivers as she fought to suppress her giggles. "You did that deliberately," he accused, still a little flushed.

She turned her head, peering at him with wide, innocent green eyes. Then she pulled the cover down to her neck, bursting into laughter. "You seemed to be having trouble explaining it on your own," she told him through her hilarity. "I thought it might make things easier." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Besides, he was going to find out sooner or later. Might as well make it sooner and get it over with."

"And that last comment?"

"Well…" she grinned, winking at him and sticking out her tongue slightly. "You're cute when you blush."

To which he obliged her by promptly blushing again.

The sun was shining in around the slatted blinds, painting faint yellow streaks across her face and hair. One stray beam caught her eyes, sparking a green fire that danced inside them. She held out her hand to him, inviting.

He took in the sight of her, desperately trying to absorb every detail of the picture before him, storing it away somewhere close to his heart.

"Lee?" she asked softly. Her voice galvanized him, and he strode across the room to kneel on the side of the bed. He leaned over, pressing his lips to hers, inhaling to catch her scent, brushing his fingers across the soft down of hair at the base of her neck.

She pushed down the blanket to free her arms, twining them around his shoulders. He sighed into her hair, and then sat back up with a start as his eyes caught the shapeless pile of grey cloth on the floor by the bed. Sakura titled her head, watching him with those vibrant green eyes again. He looked from the discarded t-shirt to her, and back again, expression remarkably reminiscent of Gai's initial reaction to Sakura's presence. Then he burst out laughing.

"All worn out?" He asked.

"Well," she sat up, letting the barrier of the blanket fall away and reaching for him. "Not _all_."

* * *

By the by, when Gai mentioned buying solace, if you guessed that he thought Lee had hired a hooker to replace Sakura – you were RIGHT. Congratulations, you are a most excellent fanfiction reader. And like I said, all we want in the world is a little acknowledgment, **so:** personal thanks go to Isiri, number 18, Yoka, Sakura Kage, link no miko, Snowmane, Original-Monkey-Girl, mad-killer-bunnies-alert, and the many others who offered their reviews and advice. It was gratifying and encouraging. Rock the Lee, baby!

- the SkItZ


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